Label the Structure of the Ear

Activity Overview

In order to understand how sound works and how we hear it, it's important for students to understand the different parts of the human ear. In this activity, students will label a diagram of the ear. Students should include the function of each part in their diagram. This activity can be made easier by getting students to label the ear with a given list of keywords like the ones highlighted in bold below.

Parts of the Human Ear

• The pinna is a flap of skin and cartilage that collects sound waves and funnels them into the ear canal.
• The ear canal is a tube that connects the pinna to the eardrum.
• The eardrum is a thin membrane that separates the outer ear and the inner ear. Sound waves that travel down the ear canal make it vibrate.
• The auditory ossicles are small bones that carry vibrations from the eardrum to the cochlea. They amplify the vibrations. The three bones are called the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup. They are some of the smallest bones in the human body.
• The cochlea is a spiral-shaped chamber that is filled with liquid and lined with hairs. It converts the vibrations into electrical signals.
• The auditory nerve connects the cochlea to the brain. It carries the electrical signals to the brain.